The role of morphology in spelling: Long-term effects of training

We compared the effectiveness of two spelling interventions: one focused on morphological structure and one emphasizing word meanings,, on spelling acquisition in French speaking children in 3 and 5 grades. The morphology intervention led to significantly greater improvement in spelling than the vocabulary intervention, especially for children in grade 5. To compare the long-term effects of the two interventions, we tested the children’s spelling ability six-months after the conclusion of the intervention program. Results show that both grades maintain an increase in spelling accuracy compared to their pre-intervention performance. Additionally, the children in grade 5 who received morphological instruction retained more spelling knowledge than those who received the vocabulary instruction. These results suggest that teaching children about the structure of complex words supports their spelling ability in the long-term, providing evidence for the importance of morphological knowledge in literacy development.